Classroom context
The class is made up of 13 year three and 11 year four students. There are 12 boys and 12 girls. These students have regular access to computers in the classroom and have one lesson every week in the school’s computer lab. There is a data projector in the lab as well as two interactive whiteboards located in other areas of the school. All students have access to a computer at home. The students' ICT skills are developing, they are familiar with using aspects of Microsoft Office, such as Word and Publisher, and have recently been taught how to compile PowerPoint presentations and have been learning how to use a class blog. The students use the internet for research and are becoming more proficient at ensuring their information is reliable. Some students are confident enough in their abilities that they readily offer assistance to students having difficulties. There are four computers in the classroom and there is a trolley with ten laptops available. The students sometimes work in pairs when using the computers. When the task requires it, a more confident student will be paired with a student who needs support. A roster for computer use, developed by the teacher, changes on a regular basis. When appropriate the students also work in groups which rotate through activities, allowing everyone time on the classroom computers. These lessons take place in term 4.
The question for inquiry
Who are the people of the Australian gold rush? Lesson Sequence Lesson 1
Whole class introduction to topic.
Students to break into assigned pairs to work on activities including:
The Learning Federation: Gold Rush level 1 on the classroom computers
Look through printed materials relating to people of the gold fields
Listen to podcasts from Sovereign Hill website
Students groups to rotate activities
Whole class share time/reflection
Lesson 2 Discuss historical people who were at the Gold fields
In computer lab, in groups, research specific people found on the Gold fields
A list of websites is provided, each group to research one male and one female - not many females
Questions to be considered, ???Eg What does the term Gold Rush mean?
When and where was the gold rush?
Who were the different people of the gold rush?
Record information on a word document.
Lesson 3
Use video footage/film clips to show how people lived in the Gold fields, refer to information supplied for spider map.
Ask pairs to share their information about their countries.
With what students have discovered they are to produce a piece of creative writing about being a person from another country at the Gold fields.
Lesson 4
Finish their writing.
Edit and correct
Publish using a word document or a power point (this will need to be rostered)
Describe how you will use each of these resources to enhance student learning
Video recorder and digital camera to be used to make video and picture stories and to keep record of student learning. The website, globalstudent.org to be used by students and teachers to keep a blog of student understandings and discoveries. The Learning Federation: gold rush to be used to stimulate imagination and further understanding of gold rush and to lead into other activities. Describe how you will use each of these resources to enhance student learning
Video recorder and digital camera to be used to make video and picture stories and to keep record of student learning. This will enhance student learning by making the task more engaging and enjoyable and enabling the students to further develop their technology skills. These could possibly be copied onto DVD's and given to students for their own resource and to show friends and family. globalstudent.org to be used by students and teachers to keep blog of student understandings and discoveries and enable students to share their discoveries and learning with peers, teachers, family and other interested parties. The Learning Federation: gold rush, to be used to stimulate imagination and further understanding of the gold rush and to lead into other activities. Microsoft PowerPoint will be used by some students to provide them with a means to present their understandings to the class and their families. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher will be used by students to enable them to publish the information they have learnt and to share this information with the class and families.
Classroom context
The class is made up of 13 year three and 11 year four students. There are 12 boys and 12 girls. These students have regular access to computers in the classroom and have one lesson every week in the school’s computer lab. There is a data projector in the lab as well as two interactive whiteboards located in other areas of the school. All students have access to a computer at home. The students' ICT skills are developing, they are familiar with using aspects of Microsoft Office, such as Word and Publisher, and have recently been taught how to compile PowerPoint presentations and have been learning how to use a class blog. The students use the internet for research and are becoming more proficient at ensuring their information is reliable. Some students are confident enough in their abilities that they readily offer assistance to students having difficulties. There are four computers in the classroom and there is a trolley with ten laptops available. The students sometimes work in pairs when using the computers. When the task requires it, a more confident student will be paired with a student who needs support. A roster for computer use, developed by the teacher, changes on a regular basis. When appropriate the students also work in groups which rotate through activities, allowing everyone time on the classroom computers. These lessons take place in term 4.
The question for inquiry
Who are the people of the Australian gold rush?
Lesson Sequence
Lesson 1
- Whole class introduction to topic.
- Students to break into assigned pairs to work on activities including:
The Learning Federation: Gold Rush level 1 on the classroom computersLook through printed materials relating to people of the gold fields
Listen to podcasts from Sovereign Hill website
Lesson 2
Discuss historical people who were at the Gold fields
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Describe how you will use each of these resources to enhance student learning
Video recorder and digital camera to be used to make video and picture stories and to keep record of student learning.
The website, globalstudent.org to be used by students and teachers to keep a blog of student understandings and discoveries.
The Learning Federation: gold rush to be used to stimulate imagination and further understanding of gold rush and to lead into other activities.
Describe how you will use each of these resources to enhance student learning
Video recorder and digital camera to be used to make video and picture stories and to keep record of student learning. This will enhance student learning by making the task more engaging and enjoyable and enabling the students to further develop their technology skills. These could possibly be copied onto DVD's and given to students for their own resource and to show friends and family.
globalstudent.org to be used by students and teachers to keep blog of student understandings and discoveries and enable students to share their discoveries and learning with peers, teachers, family and other interested parties.
The Learning Federation: gold rush, to be used to stimulate imagination and further understanding of the gold rush and to lead into other activities.
Microsoft PowerPoint will be used by some students to provide them with a means to present their understandings to the class and their families. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher will be used by students to enable them to publish the information they have learnt and to share this information with the class and families.